Sterilants are germicides that kill all microorganisms and are widely used in the prior art for sterilization, hygiene purposes, as a disinfectant, and other related purposes. Sterilants are typically commercially available in a ready-to-use form or in a concentrate to be diluted into an admixture on-site.
In the ready-to-use form, sterilants generally comprise 2–15% by weight or volume of active ingredients and a balance of water. Due to the high water concentration, it is generally not efficient to ship ready-to-use sterilants as the bulk of the shipment is water. Hence, from the perspective of an end user, purchasing ready-to-use sterilants are generally not as cost effective.
In the concentrated form, sterilants are typically available in bulk packages, such as a 1-gallon bulk, 5-gallon bulk, and a 55-gallon drum, etc. Sterilants are also available in two or more concentrated solutions to be blended on-site. A sterilant can comprise a container of diluent or pH adjusting agent and a separate container of aliphatic dial, such as a dialdehyde, for on-site mixing with water to form an admixture of ready-to-use sterilant.
When a concentrated sterilant is acquired for use, a user must first dilute the concentrate into a final acceptable ratio/admixture. The mixing process may be accomplished by dispensing the concentrated sterilant in a suitable container and diluting it with water and/or other solutions, such as diluents or pH adjusting agents, to achieve the correct concentration. As can be expected, this manual method of mixing can occasionally lead to mixing errors and can unnecessarily expose the user to concentrated chemicals.
Accordingly, there is a need for a dispensing and proportioning system for mixing concentrated chemicals that is accurate, dependable, effective and that minimizes direct user contact with concentrated chemicals.